Remembering
by Kathy376fun
Summary: Tom Riddle was once just that. Tom Riddle. A normal boy with a normal name. The question is, how and when did he become Lord Voldemort, leaving Tom Riddle behind? My take on Tom Riddle, his story and the events that changed his life forever. One-shot, but may be expanded IF asked for.


**A/N: A one-shot that has been a long time in the making. It did not turn out quite as I expected it, but I honestly like this version better. I apologize if the tenses aren't right. I wanted to write this in present tense but every time I am not attentive the past tense slips in. I read it through but please tell me if you found an error, and I'll correct it.**

**And now: R&R :)**

* * *

"I will not repeat myself again. Who are you?"

He is circling her. Slowly, predatory.

"Don't you remember me?" she asks.

He doesn't. And he has had enough. Pointing his wand at her he uses the one word that reveals every secret to him, that will let him see her every thought.

_"Legilimens"_

But for once, it hasn't the desired effect. He is stopped by something and then he pushes but it will not give away and then suddenly it's pushing back and he feels his own head be invaded, and he can't do a thing about it.

Next moment he is five years old and he's playing with autumn leaves, laughing as he makes them fly up in the sky.

He's having so much fun, playing with the leaves. But then six big kids are looming over him.

His friend Dannie's voice sounds in his head, whispering about being careful, about watching out for them because they were mean. Apparently the kids had heard what Willy had said, because Mrs Cole had told them an accident had happened; something bad and that Willy was not coming back, never coming back but that he was much happier where he was now. That he had found his mummy and daddy.

One of the kids he recognises as Billy Stubb. The others are neighbour kids.

They're yelling "Freak" and Billy kicks him once, twice before they run away, screaming and laughing.

And Tom is left behind, sitting alone with leaves surrounding him, crying as it starts raining, thinking about how unfair it is he can't have a mummy and daddy, and wishing he could go to the same place as Dannie, to find them.

Now he is ten again and he is looking down at the rabbit at his feet. It's Billy Stubb's rabbit and Tom suddenly has an idea. What better way to punish Billy for what he did to Dannie, to Rose, to Lizzie, to Albert, to _him _than to take away his rabbit?

There is a piece of robe hanging from the rafters, and now he knows how. Concentrating really hard he slowly guides the animal to the wall and makes him start climbing. When it reaches the top he makes a hand movement and the rope tangles itself around the neck of the animal, securing itself. Almost there.

Concentrating one last time he only lets one word come into his mind. _Jump, jump, jump. _And that is exactly what the rabbit does.

Tom smiles a triumphant smile, while he watches the rabbit slowly quit struggling and go limp, a white spot on the grey walls.

He hopes Billy hurts just as much as Dannie did when they killed him.

And if not, he will practise controlling people. He will be able to stop them hurting him. Never again will the six kids be mean to him. It is his turn now.

*REMEMBERING*

And then he is eleven and he is thoroughly annoyed. Annoyed because this weird man calling himself a _professor _is here, about to take him away, to have him locked up. Do they really think he is that stupid? Do they really think he will go willingly?

But then, his annoyance is melting as snow for the sun as he learns what he has known all along. That he is special, that he is different from the other kids. That he can do things they can't.

"Prove it!" he commands. He has to be sure, and he wants to see.

But that Dumbledore men is not so easily persuaded. He seems to dislike him. For what reason, Tom has no idea.

Eventually he relents and next moment his closet is on fire. He lets out a shriek of anger but next moment the fire is gone and his closet is fine.

He feels his annoyance coming back now, looking calculatingly at Dumbledore, when he knows about the objects. How? Maybe it's some spell.

"All right, Professor" he says, his face-he knows-unreadable, void of emotion.

He stops listening as the professor-guy starts rambling on and on about theft not being tolerated at Hogwarts.

It doesn't matter. He is going to be an excellent wizard. He is going to work really hard and claim the things he wants if he deserves them.

*REMEMBERING*

After that she sees some memories rushing by. Tom getting his books and his wand, Tom learning everything he can about Hogwarts, the four houses, the Wizarding community, everything he can, until he feels ready.

Next moment he is boarding the Hogwarts express for the very first time. He sits in an empty compartment, and stares out of the window, watching the landscape change and feeling excited about his new future.

And then finally, finally he has arrived, seeing the castle that he would be living in for the next seven years, and feeling like he is home.

*REMEMBERING*

"Oh, so you're a Mudblood?" the boy sneers and Tom is strongly reminded of Billy.

The clingy girl on his arm laughs.

Tom blinks. He knows that tone of voice and though he doesn't knows the meaning of that word he has a inkling to what it may mean. He is itching to make them suffer, picturing them on the ground, twitching in pain, like Billy's rabbit.

He starts to concentrate but is stopped when a brotherly arm is thrown around his shoulder, and Abraxas Malfoy asking: "Is there a problem here?"

*REMEMBERING*

Now he is talking to Cygnus Black about his heritage and Black is telling him that there is no way he is a Mudblood, because if he would be one he would've never been sorted into Slytherin.

And then, he asks the question that would change Tom's life:

"Have you ever thought about researching your name?"

*REMEMBERING*

Next Tom is older, she's guessing around 13, and he's surrounded by books. He is growing tired, as he peruses book after book without finding his name. Nowhere a Riddle is to be seen. But it has to be his dad, who's the wizard because his mum would not have let herself die if she had been a witch.

Suddenly he remembers what Mrs Cole told him about his name. He had inherited Tom Riddle from his father, and Marvolo from his grandfather.

And she sees, she sees how he finally finds what he has been looking for all along. Proof, that he is not a Muggleborn, that he is not a generic boy with a generic name.

_Marvolo Gaunt and his family, Morfin Gaunt and Merope Gaunt, are known to be the last living desendants of Salazar Slytherin. The three of them are able to speak parseltongue, the noble trait that Slytherin himself possessed and that they inherited from them. They live in Little Hangleton…_

He is not just a descendant from a wizard, he is a descendant from Salazar Slytherin himself! He can speak parselmouth, so it must be true.

His face breaks into a triumphant grin before his thoughts wander to darker places. His mother had died and she was a witch. Tom did not see how she could have died, abandoning him, leaving him in a _muggle _orphanage, unless… Unless she had been so tired of living that she wished for death. And the only way that that could have happened, he thought to himself, was because his father had left her.

Reaching that conclusion, white hot fury overtakes him and he promises himself that he will make that filthy muggle pay, pay for abandoning his mother and abandoning him even before he was born. But above all, he vows to himself that he will not love, never love because people are selfish, and only think about themselves. Well, so will he.

He will not make his mother's mistake.

*REMEMBERING*

_"open" _he hisses, the familiar sounds of parselmouth coming out.

And finally, finally something happens.

He watches in awe as the sink sinks away. His long search has not been in vain.

Not that he would have ever admitted it, but he had doubted, if he truly was the Heir.

But, once the beast has listened to him and welcomed him as a worthy descendant with noble blood, the doubts disappear.

For the first time, Tom feels like he belongs.

*REMEMBERING*

He is looking down at Myrtle's body. Her dead body. She's dead. When did that happen?

He had never meant for someone to actually die. The sole reason he had searched the chamber was to be sure he really was the Heir of Slytherin, which he is, but that is beside the point.

When the first victims were petrified he had tried to stop Naga, but the basilisk wouldn't listen. Her blood thirst was too much.

So, now a girl is dead. He doesn't really feels regret- after all, who is going to miss Myrtle?- no, instead he feels annoyance, because that simpering Mudblood girl had to get herself killed and now the school will possibly be closed.

And even if his plan works, he'll still have to lock Naga up, his only companion. Speaking off, the snake is impatiently hissing next to him.

_"No," _he orders _"you know what our agreement was, and you broke it. Go back to your chamber, and stay there"_

The snake slithers off, hissing indignantly and Tom leaves quickly. The girl will soon be found and he has a plan that has to be set in motion.

I'm sorry Rubeus, he thinks, but there is no way I'm leaving Hogwarts, and certainly not to go back to that awful orphanage. No, I've got to stay. Hogwarts is my home, and I intend on keeping it that way.

Besides, I still am a Slytherin, and rather you than me.

*REMEMBERING*

He still cannot believe he got away with it. Somewhere he was half-wishing someone would guess it was him, but that little guilty part was easily covered with his triumph. Everyone believes it was Hagrid.

Only Dumbledore seems to doubt him, but then for some reason he has never liked Tom. Tom never got why the professor didn't like him. Dumbledore was around every corner, always observing, always mistrusting.

He had looked up to Dumbledore. He seemed a brilliant wizard and apparently he was. Brilliant and very wise. But, Dumbledore never had given Tom a chance. Every time he had tried to talk to his professor, Dumbledore had shrugged him off, saying he had things to do.

So eventually Tom had given up.

Besides, he doesn't looks up to Dumbledore anymore. Not with the Grindelwald situation, with more and more victims and the only one that can beat him, as the rumours go, safely in Hogwarts. And to believe that man was a Gryffindor once. The coward.

Even now, with Tom being a student, Dumbledore doesn't do anything. He just observes Tom and asks his little question.

"Is there anything you wish to tell me, Tom?"

And Tom would always meet his piercing blue gaze with his own, an unreadable expression on his face and would always answer the same.

"No sir, nothing at all"

And he would always hold Dumbledore's gaze until the professor nodded before walking away, with Dumbledore's eyes burning his back.

And that is exactly what he does now.

*REMEMBERING*

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

I AM LORD VOLDEMORT

Staring down at the parchment he smiles. Because this means he can get rid of his father's name.

About that, he will meet him soon. If everything goes the way he wants too, he will have punished him, and he will have taken his first steps to immortality.

With a lazy flick of his wrist the parchment catches fire.

It's time to go.

*REMEMBERING*

_"Crucio" _

His voice sounds cold and emotionless. Just the way he wants it to sound.

The man on the floor screams out. Suddenly the door flies open and two aged people storm inside?

"What is going on here?!"

Tom reacts on instint.

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

The man gets hit with the green flash and falls. The woman's scream is cut off as she follows the same path.

His grandparents. The ones who should have spoiled him, giving him cookies from the cookie jar when his parents weren't looking.

No. don't think about it. Instead, Tom feels proud. He managed the killing curse. Not once, but twice. The most powerful spell.

He spots a movement out of the corner of his eyes?

"Oh, I don't think so" he says pleasantly.

The man freezes as he finally gets a good luck at the boy. He's about sixteen years old, and he just killed two people without even _blinking. _But the most shocking part was that he could have been looking at a younger version from himself.

"What. Are. You?" he asks, terrified.

"Why, father, don't you even recognize your own son?"

"No" Tom Riddle Sr. whispers, "No. It can't be"

The pleasant expression on Tom's face is by now, far gone.

"Did you really think you would get away unpunished?" he sneers "You abandoned me and my mother-"

"No, you don't understand. She bewitched me, forced me to marry her, I had no idea-"

"What is there not to understand?" Tom asks calmly "You left your own wife, just because you found out she was a witch, pregnant and with no money-"

"No, please" the man begs "I did not even knew I had a son-"

"LIAR! YOU FILTHY MUGGLE! YOU ABANDONED MY MOTHER, LEAVING HER TO DIE, AND ME TO GROW UP IN AN ORPHANAGE! YOU NEVER ONCE BOTHERED TO FIND ME! WHY? WAS I SO DESPICABLE TO YOU? AND MY MOTHER, MY MOTHER DIED BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"Please son, forgive me. I had no idea-" Riddle sr. starts but is interrupted.

"It doesn't matter anymore," Tom says quietly, more to himself, "It doesn't matter anymore. You will help me achieve my goal. Then my mother will be avenged, and we will be even"

He takes out a black, leather-bound book and carefully places it next to him on the floor. Then he straightens up again and aims his wand at his father.

"Goodbye, father"

Expecting Tom Riddle Sr. to beg Tom is astounded when two single words come out instead.

"I'm sorry"

Seconds later, it is over. A flash of green leaves his eyes lifeless forever, with a scared, yet regretful look on his face.

Feeling regretful too, Tom quickly gets himself in check. He has avenged his mother. That's why he came.

Besides, he achieved what he wanted to. He should be feeling happy. He _is_ happy. _Right? _

And so, Tom Riddle leaves with a bounce in his step, pretending he did not think the last part of that statement and instead focussing on one thing only:

He is no longer mortal.

*REMEMBERING*

He's feeling ecstatic. That old Slughorn fool told him exactly what he wanted to know.

There is no limit to making Horcruxes. He can easily split his soul into seven parts. He would never have guessed that it was so _easy_ to live forever.

But his thoughts take him somewhere else, to a dark path he has wandered once before. It is very easy indeed. So, the same old question arises. Why did his mother die?

It was his father's fault. He wonders how many other wizards have suffered because of a muggle and then he decides, Muggleborns really don't deserve to live in this world. Salazar Slytherin was right. Maybe he was hurt by a muggle too.

He will do something about it. For starters he will make sure the basilisk is released again in the future, to purge the school an save others from his mother's fate.

He will write into his diary this evening, and explain Horcrux-Tom what has to be done.

He will also talk to his fellow Slytherins. To Abraxas Malfoy, Cygnus Black, Lestrange, Nott, Crabbe, Goyle, Dolohov, Avery, Mulciber, Wilkes, Macnair, to see if they are willing to help him.

And, he will get rid of his father's name once and for all.

They will make a better world.

There's a nagging voice in the back of his head, but he ignores it.

After all, it's easy to pretend his father's regret was faked, or did not happen at all.

*REMEMBERING*

He studies the object in his hands. His once so awaited Head-boy badge. How quickly these seven years passed. Now, everything turned into a memory. He smiles briefly at the happy time he passed here. But it's time to move on now. From now one he will be here as a teacher.

He pins his badge on one more time and goes to see Dippet.

*REMEMBERING*

He leaves Hogwarts, walking quickly. The castle he had called home for seven years, the castle he had been sure he would once return too. Well, now that the old-meddlesome fool has not given him the job, no one else will have it. And he will have his revenge. He swears, Dumbledore will die one day, at his command.

Now it is time to really start with his life. To become the greatest wizard ever. To be so feared that no one will ever dare speak his name. To clean the world of Mudbloods once and for all.

He walks away, leaving the last part of Tom Riddle behind. A normal boy, with a normal name, whose childhood home had been that castle. He is Lord Voldemort now and his Death Eaters await him, to start the future together.

He walks away and he does not look back.

*REMEMBERING*

She emerges from his mind, looking completely stunned. She blinks a couple of times before looking up at him.

"So it is you, you are Tom"

He recognises her now. Katherine Roselle. A Half-blood just like him, but instead, the wizard had left her after using her mother.

They had talked, for long hours, but eventually he had taken distance from her. She was captivating, nice and kind, very intelligent and she made him laugh.

He would have been able to fall in love with her so easily.

Love. Where did that came from? He had never loved. He had vowed himself to never love and some silly girl would not be able to change that.

But, as he raises his wand, she closes her eyes, preparing herself for death.

No one ever closed their eyes when they were faced with him. They pleaded and they begged, not ready for death.

And she, she shows _acceptance._

He always knew she was different. Pity he could not convince her. Well, too bad for her.

However, it are not the usual words that leave his mouth. Instead, he changes his mind. Not for love, of course not. No, just to use her afterwards.

_"Obliviate"_

When she wakes up, she is all alone. She shakes her head. She had such a funny dream. She had met Tom Riddle again, and they had talked and he had stroked her cheek and he was leaning in to kiss her just as she woke up.

Katherine shakes her head again before she leaves.

In the shadows a certain someone watches her go before shaking his head too.

"I am not Tom Riddle, I am Lord Voldemort"

Tom Riddle had disappeared long time ago. The boy whose biggest wish was to have a mummy and daddy, and to be normal and to belong, had left and in his place just remained the shell of someone he could have been, had he broken his silly vow.

But it's too late now. Because a prophecy has already been made, and in two years' time a boy named Harry Potter will be born.

And history will go down.

**A/N: So, there it is. Please, I'm begging you, if you bothered to read it till here please review!**

**Btw: I'm having a lot of inspiration now, and I'm thinking about maybe writing a fic, loosely based on this one. I say loosely because it would maybe have a different ending, and maybe not Katherine Roselle, but Minerva McGonnagal, though I may use Katherine anyways. **

**Okay, who am I kidding? I actually already started writing it. Now, don't get too exited because I've only written two scenes till now, but I have a lot of ideas. I just need to get through my exams first.**

**The fic would be called 'A Different Life path'. But, I'll only post it if I get ****feedback **** on this one. Yes I'm blackmailing you. So please review and tell me: If you liked it, hated it, if Tom was too OOC or you can live with him, and If you would prefer Katherine to Minerva or the other way around.**

**Love,**

**Kathy**


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